In memory of Chris Silvera: ‘Defeat the guest-worker program’

Workers World Party is deeply saddened by the sudden death of Chris Silvera, Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters Local 808; Chair of the Teamsters National Black Caucus and leader of the East Coast Million Worker March Movement. He succumbed to a heart attack on June 12 while traveling to a labor conference. The following talk was given by Silvera at a Workers World Party national conference entitled “Preparing for the Rebirth of the World Struggle for Socialism,” held in New York City, on May 13-14, 2006.  The talk first appeared in the May 26, 2006, Workers World print issue. Chris Silvera, rest in power!

This is the 130th anniversary of Haymarket, which was mostly led by immigrant workers. The labor movement and immigrant rights movement have always been one, while the boss seeks to create divisions to weaken that movement. So, I do not believe that we created something new on May 1. I think we struck a chord that made people get up and risk everything to be on the front line of change.

I believe that labor needs to make some of the same demands that capital has made.  Capital has said that it wants to tear down borders and have unfettered freedom to search the globe looking for profit. If that is true, labor must have the same unfettered right in looking for work.

What we have to do here is to build and make this movement significant, so we have got to tie in mainstream labor, and we have to make sure the mainstream labor movement has a focus that is purely in the interest of workers from a global perspective.

So where is the labor movement in this struggle? What is the demand of labor and is it different from the Democratic Party and does the Democratic Party have a demand that is even worth listening to? The Democratic Party is a failure, certainly for working people. I suspect that if you are on the upper side of a quarter million dollars a year, the Democratic Party is as favorable to you as the Republican Party.

I cannot tell you what the significance of the immigrant rights movement is, but what I can tell you is that we have positioned ourselves to become an important part of this resolution. But Congress is running with a group of people who you did not see in the [May Day] march. Most are on the payroll, and those people are going to be the ones to say yes to guest worker programs.  

In enslavement time you had those enslaved and indentured servants. The indentured servant is the original guest worker, and their situation was so bad that at many times, they banded with enslaved people to seek freedom. So the guest worker is an absolute no-starter in trying to resolve this issue. It has got to be defeated up front!

If the unions properly got on board with this solution, I believe we would have three million, four million members quickly. We have an opportunity that we have not had since 1886.  

The eight-hour day did not just come in one day because of Haymarket.  Haymarket was one day in years of building what is known as “Eight-Hour Leagues.” So, we are going to have to continue to fight. We must build a series of actions that are coordinated and effective, because we have proven we have the numbers and the power.